Oklahoma Duo Helps Power Team Mexico to First Olympic Softball Win
As expected, Team Mexico’s Olympic softball squad has a distinctive Oklahoma flavor.
And thanks partly to those former Sooners, they’re now one win away from playing for their first ever medal.
Former Sooner Sydney Romero hit her first ever Olympic home run Sunday to power the Mexican team to a 5-0 victory over Italy.
Batting leadoff, Romero was 2-for-3 on the day with the homer, a double, and a walk.
Nicole Mendes, playing as Nicole Rangel on the official roster (her jersey still says Mendes), went 1-for-4 on the day hitting from the 2-hole and scored a run.
Team Mexico lost its first three games of the tournament, 4-0 to Canada, 3-2 to Japan and 2-0 to the United States.
But Sunday at Yokohama Stadium, Dallas Escobedo threw a one-hitter and the Mexican National Team — which was swept by the Sooners in a three-game exhibition this past spring — secured their first Olympic victory.
On Monday, Mexico faces Australia (6 a.m. CT) in the final game of the round-robin, with the winner advancing to face Canada in the bronze medal game on Tuesday (midnight CT).
Japan and Team USA are both 4-0 going into Sunday night’s pool play meeting and will play again in the gold medal game on Tuesday (6 a.m. CT).
Through the first four games of the Olympics, Romero, the designated player and third baseman, is hitting .273 (3-for-11) with one run and one RBI while Mendes, in centerfield, is up to .143 (2-for-14) with one run scored.